Vibratory roller

ABSTRACT

A vibratory roller machine in which the means for imparting vibrations to the roller body consist of two mutually angularly adjustable rotary eccentric masses, so as to vary the resultant eccentricity of the two masses, and of means to rotate the two masses as a unit, whereby amplitude of vibration can be varied for the same vibration frequency, thereby obtaining improved and faster compaction of asphalt, gravel and the like.

United States Patent 2,954,726 10/1960 Kerridge.... 3,145,631

Peppino Sechl 5669 Upper Lachine Road, Montreal, Quebec, Canada Apr. 23,1969 July 6, 1971 inventor App]. No. Filed Patented VIBRATORY ROLLER 5(Claims, 9 Drawing Figs.

US. 94/50 Inn CL 1201c 19/28 Field Search 94/50, 50 V Reference CitedUNITED STATES PATENTS 8/1964 Green 3,192,839 7/1965 Vivier 94/503,283,679 11/1966 Rafferty 94/50 3,395,626 8/1968 Garis 4 94/503,411,420 11/1968 Martin 94/50 3,416,419 12/1968 Kronholm 94/503,437,019 4/1969 Peterson 94/50 Primary Examiner-Nile C. Byers, Jr.Attorney-Pierre Lesperance ABSTRACT: A vibratory roller machine in whichthe means for imparting vibrations to the roller bodly consist of twomutually angularly adjustable rotary eccentric masses, so as to vary theresultant eccentricity of the two masses, and of means to rotate the twomasses as a unit, whereby amplitude of vibration can be varied for thesame vibration frequency, thereby obtaining improved and fastercompaction of asphalt, gravel and the like.

PATENTEU JUL -6 I97! SHEET 2 BF 2 IN l/E N TOR Pep who SEC! 7 AGENTVIBRATORY ROLLER The present invention relates to a roller forcompacting road surfaces and the like, of the type having a vibratoryroller body and comprising a rotary eccentric mass for impartingvibrations to the roller.

It is an object of the invention to provide a vibratory roller in whichit is possible to vary the amplitudes of the vibrations of the rollerbody for the same frequency of vibrations and in which it is alsopossible to vary the frequency of vibrations, to thereby have greaterflexibility in the adjustment of both the frequency and amplitude ofvibrations of the roller body, resulting in better soil compacting.

A more specific object of the present invention resides in the provisionof a roller of the character described, having two eccentric massesmounted in the roller body and mutually angularly adjustable andlockable in adjusted position, so as to vary the eccentricity of thecenter of gravity of the resultant rotary mass, in order to vary theamplitudes of the vibrations for an equal vibration frequency.

Another object of the present invention resides in the provision of aroller of the character described, having an improved suspension fortheroller body to eliminate the transmissions of the roller bodyvibrations to the machine frame.

The foregoing and other objects of the present invention will becomeapparent during the following disclosure and by referring to thedrawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic side elevation of a vibratory roller in accordancewith the invention;

FIG. 2, shown on the second sheet of drawings, is a cross section of theroller body and of its suspension;

FIG. 3 is a section, on an enlarged scale, of the means for locking thetwo eccentric masses in angularly adjusted position;

FIGS. 4, 5, and 6 are cross sections taken along lines 4-4, 5-5, and 6-6respectively of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7, shown'on the first sheet of drawings, is a side elevation of oneof the suspension supports for the roller body;

FIG. 8 is a plan section, on an enlarged scale, taken along line 8-8 ofFIG. 7 and also showing the drive pinion for the roller body and part ofthe latter; and

FIG. 9 is a cross section, on an enlarged scale, of the two ec centricmasses of the vibrating system.

In the drawings, like reference characters indicate like elementsthroughout.

The vibratory roller in accordance with the invention is generally shownat l and comprises a frame provided at the back with a steering roller 2and at the front with a vibratory compacting roller body 3, which may bepartially filled with water, if so desired.

Roller body 3 is rotatably mounted in suspension supports 4 on each sideof the roller. Each support 4 comprises a pair of spaced parallelelongated plates 5 secured together at their ends by transverse plates6, the latter upwardly converging and each adhering to one face of arubber block 7, the op posite parallel face of which adheres to atransverse plate 8, parallel to plate 6, and secured to an angle ironbracket 9, which is rigidly bolted or riveted to the frame 1 of thevehicle.

Plates 5 are perforated at their center and a collar 10 is fitted in theresulting holes and serves as a journal for each stub axle of the rollerbody 3 and for the shaft of the vibratory system.

Moreover, a suspension support 4 on one side of the roller body 3 isprovided with an additional collar 11 near one end of the plates 5 forreceiving the shaft of the roller body drive pinion. More specifically,the drive pinion is shown in FIG. 8 at 12 and its teeth mesh with arelatively large play with the inwardly directed teeth of a crown gear13 secured to the mar ginal portion 14 of the cylindrical wall 15 ofvibratory roller body 3.

Pinion 12 is keyed on a shaft 16, journaled in bearings 17, mounted incollar 11.

A sprocket gear 18 is secured on the outer end of shaft 16 and, as shownin FIG. 1, is driven by a sprocket chain 19 trained thereon, and also ona sprocket gear 20 keyed on the output shaft of an internal combustionengine, shown at 21 and mounted on the vehicle chassis. Obviously, atransmission system may be interposed between gear 30 and the outputshaft of engine 21 to drive the vehicle at various speeds.

Roller body 3 has lateral walls 22 and 23 with central holes 24.

Cylindrical sleeves, or hollow stub axles 25, are secured to walls 22and 23 and extend outwardly of the roller body coaxially with saidroller body and are journaled in collars 10 by bearings 26. Thevibratory system in accordance with the invention is mounted within theroller body 3 and the hollow stub axles 25. This system includes acylindrical tube 27 extending the entire length of the roller body 3within the same and provided with bored stub shafts 28, which areeccentric with respect to tube 27. These bored stub shafts 28 arerotatably mounted within stub axles 25 with the interposition of needlebearings 29.

The innerrace of each needle bearing 29 is maintained in position onstub shaft 28 by means of a nut 30 and a shoulder formed on stub shaft28.

The outer race of each needle bearing 29 is maintained in positionagainst a shoulder made at the inside face of stub axle 25, by a sleeve31 secured to an antidirt ring 32, itself removably secured to stub axle25.

Rings 32 are provided with lubricating zerks 33. A solid cylindrical rod34 is positioned within tube 27 eccentrically thereof. Rod 34 isprovided with end stub shafts 35 and 36,

which are axially aligned but radially offset with respect to rod Stubshaft 35 is rotatable within and extends through one of the hollow stubshafts 28 of tube 27 and is provided with a driving grooved pulley 37 atits outer end. This pulley is adapted to be driven by internalcombustion engine 21 through belts 38, shown in FIG. 1, trained on belttensioning pulley 39 and driving pulley 40, itself driven by the engine21 or by a separate motor.

Stub shaft 36 extends through the other hollow stub shaft 28 of tube 27and is rotatably mounted therein and its outer end forms an extension 41of square cross section.

A locking cap 42, having a through bore, is mounted for slidablelongitudinal movement on stub shaft 28 of tube 27 and surroundsextension 41. This cap 42 is provided with at least one inwardlydirected tooth 43 slidably engaging a longitudinal slot 44 made in stubshaft 28, whereby locking cap 42 will rotate with stub shaft 28 but canbe axially displaced with respect to the latter.

A compression coil spring45 surrounds extension 41 and is located withinlocking cap 42. Spring 45 abuts at one end against stub shaft 28 and atthe other end against the bottom 46 of locking cap 42.

Bottom 46 has a central square-shaped hole 47 which, in the outer limitposition of locking cap 42 under the action of spring 45, receives asquare collar 48 secured to extension 41.

In the outer limit position of the locking cap, tooth 43 abuts the outerend of longitudinal slot 44 and locking cap 42 cannot turn with respectto rod 34.

The central portion of antidirt ring 32? is provided with an inwardlyrecessed portion 49 forming an outwardly opening cavity for receivinglocking cap 42 when the latter is pushed towards the roller 3 againstthe action of spring 45.

In the inward limit position of locking cap 42 engaging cavity 49, anexternal tooth 50, carried by locking cap 42, engages a longitudinalgroove 51 made at the periphery of cavity 49 in order to lock rotationof cap 42 with respect to ring 32 and, therefore, with respect to theroller 3 when the latter is stationary.

Tube 27 and rod 34 constitute two eccentric masses and their relativeangular position is adjusted by using a key 52, shown in FIG. 2. Thiskey has a flat face 53 and is provided with an axial blind bore 54 ofsquare cross-sectional shape to receive the square-shaped collar 48while flat face 53 abuts the outer face of locking cap 42, In the outerlimit position of the locking cap 42, as shown in the drawings, theexternal tooth 50 of the locking cap is free from groove 51 of cavity49; but square hole 47 of cap bottom 46 engages square collar 48 ofshaft extension 42 and, moreover, the internal tooth 43 of cap 42 is inengagement with the slot 44 of stub shaft 28. Therefore, cap 42 locksrod 34 and tube 27 against relative rotation and these two eccentricmasses turn as a unit under action of pulley 37. v

The relative angular position of tube 27 and rod 34 can be easilyadjusted by using key 52 which is pushed against locking cap 42 untiltooth 50 engages groove 51, thereby locking tube 27 against rotation.

At the same time, collar 48 moves out of engagement with hole 47,thereby releasing rod 34 which then can be rotated by means of key 52,collar 48 then engaging the square bore 54 of said key.

To rotate the key, any rod is inserted through transverse hole 55 in thekey handle. Once the rod 34 has been rotated through 90 or a multiplethereof, cap 42 is released, whereby the two eccentric masses 27 and 34are again locked against mutual rotation and they are free to rotatewithrespect to the roller body 3.

In the arrangement shown, the two eccentric masses may be rotated withrespect to each other and locked at four different positions, 90 apart;but it is obvious that the arrangement can be such as to adjust the twoeccentric masses at a greater number of positions.

Relative angular adjustment of the two eccentric masses serves to varythe eccentricity of the assembly of the two masses and, consequently, tovary the extent of the vibratory forces exerted on roller body 3.

Referring to FIG. 9, rod 34 and tube 27 have a common rotational axisindicated at 56. In the angular position of the two masses, shown inFIG. 9, the center of gravity of tube 27 is located vertically aboverotational axis 56, whereas the center of gravity of rod 34-is disposedvertically below the rotational axis 56, thus the resultant of the twocenters of gravity coincide with the rotational axis 56 when thesecenters of gravity are equally radially spaced from axis 56, and thereis no vibration during rotation of the assembly of tube 27 and rod 34if, as a further condition, the weight of tube 27 is equal to the weightof rod 34.

By turning rod 34 with respect to tube 27 in one direction or the other,the center of gravity of the rod 34 is displaced upwardly and,therefore, the center of gravity of the assembly is displaced upwardly.The center of gravity of the assembly 'becomes eccentric with respect torotational axis 56. The

resultant center of gravity can be displaced to a maximum correspondingto a position of rod 34 rotated 180 with respect to the position shownin FIG. 9. In this latter position, a maximum amplitude of vibration isobtained for a given speed of rotation of the assembly.

Thus, the assembly of the eccentric masses 27 and 34 can be not onlyrotated atdifferent speeds by motor or engine 21, or by a separatemotor, to obtain variation in the frequency of vibrations or oscillatoryforces, but also the amplitude of the vibrations can be variedindependently of the speed of rotation of the assembly of masses 27 and34. This enables great flexibility in the use of the vibratory rollerfor compacting different materials with great efficiency.

The vibrations transmitted to the roller 3 are practically nottransmitted to the vehicle chassis, due to the presence of the rubber orother resilient blocks 7 incorporated within the suspension supports 4.

It is obvious that the cross-sectional shape and wall thickness of tube27 can be varied and also the cross-sectional shape of rod 27.

What 1 claim is:

1. In a vibratory roller machine having a roller body and a vibratorysystem for said roller body, said system comprising two elon atedeccentric masses rotatably mounted in said roller bo y, means forreleasably locking said masses in radially angularly adjusted positionone with respect to the other and driving means for rotating said twomasses as a unit, said roller body having hollow stub axles, one of saideccentric masses consisting of a tubular member having eccentricallydisposed tubular stub shafts rotatably mounted within the hollow stubaxles of said roller body, the other of said masses consisting of a rodmember disposed within said tubular member and having eccentric stubshafts rotatably mounted within the hollow stub shafts of said tubularmember, all of said stub axles and stub shafts being coaxial with theaxis of rotation of said roller body, said driving means including adriving rotary member secured to one of the stub shafts of only one ofsaid tubular member and rod member and disposed outside said roller bodystub axles, said releasable locking means operable on at least one pairof interengaged stub shafts of said tubular member and said rod memberso arranged as to adjustably vary the amplitude of vibrations producedin the roller body by rotation of the two eccentric masses as a unit.

2 In a vibratory roller machine as claimed in claim 1, further includingmeans to releasably lock said tubular member against rotation withrespect to said roller body and operable only when said first lockingmeans are released.

3. In a vibratory roller machine as claimed in claim 1, furtherincluding a frame, elongated support members in which the stub axles ofsaid roller body are journaled and having upwardly converging end faces,brackets secured to said frame and providing upwardly converging facesparallel to the faces of said support members and spaced therefrom, andrubberlike blocks inserted between the bracket and support member facesand adhering thereto, to provide a suspension for said roller body whichsubstantially prevents transmission of vibrations from said roller bodyto said frame.

4. In a vibratory roller machine as claimed in claim 3, furtherincluding means for driving said roller body, said means comprising apinion journaled in said elongated support member on an axis spaced fromthe rotary axis of said roller body, said roller body having a crowngear secured thereto at one end thereof and having inwardly directedteeth loosely meshing with said pinion.

5. in a vibratory roller machine having a roller body and a vibratorysystem for said roller body, said roller body having hollow stub axles,said system comprising two elongated eccentric masses rotatably mountedwithin said roller body, means for releasably locking said masses inradially angularly adjusted position one with respect to the other anddriving means for rotating said two masses as a unit, one of saideccentric masses consisting of a tubular member having eccentricallydisposed tubular stub shafts rotatably mounted within the hollow stubaxles of said roller body, the other of said masses consisting of a rodmember disposed within said tubular member and having eccentric stubshafts rotatably mounted within the tubular stub shafts of said tubularmember, all of said stub axles and stub shafts being coaxial with theaxis of rotation of said roller body, said driving means including adriving rotary member secured to one of the stub shafts of only one ofsaid tubular member and rod member, said locking means including alocking cap mounted for nonrotary but longitudinal movement on one endof a stub shaft of said tubular member, and spring biased into a limitposition in which said cap is locked on said rod member to preventrotation of the latter relative to said tubular member, axialdisplacement of said cap out of said limit position releasing said capfrom engagement with said rod member to allow rotation of said rodmember relative to said tubular member, and interengageable means onsaid locking cap and on the adjacent stub axle of said roller body,interengageable only when said locking cap is displaced out of saidlimit position, to releasably lock said locking cap and, consequently,said tubular member, against rotation relative to said roller body.

minan rat-1!

1. In a vibratory roller machine having a roller body and a vibratorysystem for said roller body, said system comprising two elongatedeccentric masses rotatably mounted in said roller body, means forreleasably locking said masses in radially angularly adjusted positionone with respect to the other and driving means for rotating said twomasses as a unit, said roller body having hollow stub axles, one of saideccentric masses consisting of a tubular member having eccentricallydisposed tubular stub shafts rotatably mounted within the hollow stubaxles of said roller body, the other of said masses consisting of a rodmember disposed within said tubular member and having eccentric stubshafts rotatably mounted within the hollow stub shafts of said tubularmember, all of said stub axles and stub shafts being coaxial with theaxis of rotation of said roller body, said driving means including adriving rotary member secured to one of the stub shafts of only one ofsaid tubular member and rod member and disposed outside said roller bodystub axles, said releasable locking means operable on at least one pairof interengaged stub shafts of said tubular member and said rod memberso arranged as to adjustably vary the amplitude of vibrations producedin the roller body by rotation of the two eccentric masses as a unit. 2.In a vibratory roller machine as claimed in claim 1, further includingmeans to releasably lock said tubular member against rotation withrespect to said roller body and operable only when said first lockingmeans are released.
 3. In a vibratory roller machine as claimed in claim1, further including a frame, elongated support members in which thestub axles of said roller body are journaled and having upwardlyconverging end faces, brackets secured to said frame and providingupwardly converging faces parallel to the faces of said support membersand spaced therefrom, and rubberlike blocks inserted between the bracketand support member faces and adhering thereto, to provide a suspensionfor said roller body which substantially prevents transmission ofvibrations from said roller body to said frame.
 4. In a vibratory rollermachine as claimed in claim 3, further including means for driving saidroller body, said means comprising a pinion journaled in said elongatedsupport member on an axis spaced from the rotary axis of said rollerbody, said roller body having a crown gear secured thereto at one endthereof and having inwardly directed teeth loosely meshing with saidpinion.
 5. In a vibratory roller machine having a roller body and avibratory system for said roller body, said roller body having hollowstub axles, said system comprising two elongated eccentric massesrotatably mounted within said roller body, means for releasably lockingsaid masses in radially angularly adjusted position one with respect tothe other and driving means for rotating said two masses as a unit, oneof said eccentric masses consisting of a tubular member havingeccentrically disposed tubular stub shafts rotatably mounted within thehollow stub axles of said roller body, the other of said massesconsisting of a rod member disposed within said tuBular member andhaving eccentric stub shafts rotatably mounted within the tubular stubshafts of said tubular member, all of said stub axles and stub shaftsbeing coaxial with the axis of rotation of said roller body, saiddriving means including a driving rotary member secured to one of thestub shafts of only one of said tubular member and rod member, saidlocking means including a locking cap mounted for nonrotary butlongitudinal movement on one end of a stub shaft of said tubular member,and spring biased into a limit position in which said cap is locked onsaid rod member to prevent rotation of the latter relative to saidtubular member, axial displacement of said cap out of said limitposition releasing said cap from engagement with said rod member toallow rotation of said rod member relative to said tubular member, andinterengageable means on said locking cap and on the adjacent stub axleof said roller body, interengageable only when said locking cap isdisplaced out of said limit position, to releasably lock said lockingcap and, consequently, said tubular member, against rotation relative tosaid roller body.